Real Madrid defender Pepe has confirmed that he will be leaving the club this summer amid links with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, after they failed to offer him his desired two-year extension.
The centre-back has been with the club since 2007 when he joined from Portuguese giants Porto, becoming a firm fans favourite over the last decade.
However, with Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Nacho now all ahead of Pepe in the pecking order, his future has become extremely bleak at the club this season.
The Portugal international, 34, was not named in the Champions League final squad for the win over Juventus last week and he has now confirmed he will leave the club when his deal expires at the end of June.
“Real Madrid did not offer me to renew for two seasons. I was only offered one year,” Pepe told Cadena Cope. “It is clear that I will not continue at Real Madrid. One stage is over and, from now, another new one will start.”
PSG appear favourites for his signature, but Pep also stated he has offers to join the Premier League.
He continued: “I still have nothing signed with anyone. I could have done it before, but I wanted to wait to avoid destabilising the team. There are offers (for Pepe), also from England.”
When asked whether he regretted the way things ended with manager Zinedine Zidane and the club, Pepe added: “I didn’t say goodbye to Zidane because Zidane and Real Madrid knew I was going before I did.
“I do not want to blame anyone – what Zidane has done with Real Madrid is spectacular – but, there are things I do not understand. What I don’t understand is why I disappeared from the team?”
Pepe has played over 300 games since moving to Spain and played a crucial part in many of Real Madrid’s recent triumphs on the field.
Pepe’s relationship with Rafa Benitez has prompted links with an unlikely move to Newcastle United, the centre-back having stated while confirming his departure from Madrid: “I really liked the sincerity of [Rafa] Benítez. I identify with him a lot and that did not hit me at first.”
However, Pepe appears destined for a Champions League club, with Spanish news outlet Marca having reported in April that Manchester City and PSG have made efforts to persuade him to join them.
The report states that Pepe has shunned an annual salary worth €12 million (around £11m) at Chinese Super League outfit Hebei China Fortune in order to remain in Europe.
While neither PSG or Man City can match the astronomical offer on the table for Pepe from Hebei boss Manuel Pellegrini, the defender may be tempted to remain in Europe in order to boost his chances of appearing at the 2018 World Cup.
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